• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Gordon lifts Hornets past Mavs in OT

Jan 6, 2013 - 7:05 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Eric Gordon's three-point play with 4.7 seconds left lifted the New Orleans Hornets to a 99-96 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.

Following an O.J. Mayo miss with 17.9 ticks left, Gordon dribbled between his legs and took one dribble to his left before getting Darren Collison to bite on a pump fake. Gordon then leaned into Collison and banked one home from just above the free throw line.

After Gordon sunk the subsequent free throw, Dallas called timeout and advanced the ball past midcourt. Mayo took the inbounds pass and turned to let a potential game-tying three fly, but lost control of the ball. Gordon, though, kicked the ball with 1.4 seconds showing and the Mavericks had one last chance.

Vince Carter took the inbounds pass as he dashed to the right corner, turned and fired a trey that bounced off the rim as the final horn sounded.

Gordon finished with 14 points while Greivis Vasquez poured in a game-high 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds for the Hornets, who had dropped two straight entering the contest.

Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 20 points and Vince Carter added 17 points off the bench in the setback. This was Nowitzki's first start of the season since recovering from knee surgery.

Dallas held a 67-63 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Hornets opened the frame with six straight points to go up 69-67. A Vasquez triple put New Orleans up 79-73 with 7:12 left in regulation.

Dallas, though, used a 10-2 surge to take an 83-81 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth.

Jason Smith's layup with 46.9 seconds left gave the Hornets an 89-88 margin but a Gordon foul with 18.5 ticks showing put Nowitzki on the line for the potential go-ahead free throws.

Nowitzki, though, bricked the first try before sinking the second to knot things up at 89-89.

Vasquez couldn't get a clean look as the buzzer sounded and the teams headed to overtime.

"Down the stretch I thought we had some good looks," Nowitzki said.

The Hornets led 25-23 after the first 12 minutes, but were outscored 24-15 in the second to go into the break trailing 47-40. New Orleans shot 50 percent (9-for-18) in the third to cut the margin to four at 67-63.

Game Notes

The Hornets won in Dallas for just the second time (1-16) since moving to New Orleans in 2003 ... Ryan Anderson scored 16 points and Smith added 12 for the Hornets ... The Mavericks are 0-7 in overtime this season and have dropped eight of their last nine overall.